“I wouldn’t even say we’re rivals”: When Dawn Staley made her feelings clear about Geno Auriemma and UConn

In the March 2023 episode of Bleacher Report's "Taylor Rooks X," Dawn Staley shared her thoughts on facing the UConn Huskies and their coach, Geno Auriemma.

While she stopped short of calling it a rivalry, Staley emphasized the intensity of their matchups, rooted in UConn's winning culture and dominant history in women's basketball. She also noted that the high viewership of these games helps elevate women's basketball as a major event in college sports.

"Let me, I wouldn't even say we're rivals because you gotta win," Dawn Staley noted (16:20).

"The percentage of them beating us is very high to our low. I just think it's become a great anticipation game for for all of basketball, not just college, not just women's basketball, but all of college basketball. Because when it's put on television, the viewership is is way, way up."

Staley also shared that the Feb. 10, 2020 matchup against Geno Auriemma at the Colonial Life Arena is her most cherished win while coaching the Gamecocks. She believes it propelled the program in the right direction, providing the confidence and momentum to clinch the 2022 NCAA championship.

Staley also highlighted her time as an assistant coach under Auriemma at the 2016 Olympics, noting that she learned a great deal about coaching by observing the 11-time NCAA championship winner.

Dawn Staley and Geno Auriemma will face each other in February

The defending champion South Carolina Gamecocks and the UConn Huskies are set to face off on Feb. 16 at the Colonial Life Arena. This highly anticipated game is expected to draw significant attention from the college basketball community.

It will mark the 14th meeting between coaches Dawn Staley and Geno Auriemma. Since Staley took over the Gamecocks in May 2008, the Huskies initially dominated with seven consecutive wins, each by double digits, leaving USC little chance to gain momentum.

However, since their 2020 victory against the Huskies, Staley's Gamecocks have turned the tide, winning four consecutive games and five of the last six matchups, including one in Connecticut and two on neutral courts.